Good morning,

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Internal recordings of a town hall meeting held Jan. 14 within the Texas military show a high number of soldiers are at risk of being discharged due to federal vaccine mandates. Robert Montoya reports that a leader in the Texas military has expressed little hope that the strategy Gov. Greg Abbott has chosen – relying on the courts – will prevent this.
Maj. Gen. Charles Aris, commander of the 36th Infantry Division, reportedly told soldiers that he expects the lawsuits initiated by Texas at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott will fail. That means, he said, if soldiers aren’t vaccinated they will be discharged and unable to serve in the Texas National Guard. For perspective, Aris said that means “8,000 soldiers are at risk” of being discharged for not complying with vaccine mandates.
Aris, who is also a lawyer, can be heard on recordings explaining that the recent rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed “that the hospitals and medical care workers that get federal funds have to be vaccinated as valid. So that tells you that if it has to do with the government, it’s going to be upheld.”
“You can see it’s around 59 percent are unvaccinated, which is a large percentage. And so, we need help with that,” said Aris, urging troops to get vaccinated and asking them to pressure their brothers and sisters in uniform to do so, as well.

Is Texas’ Border Push ‘Political Theater’?

In an exclusive interview on the Luke Macias Show, John Davidson of The Federalist explains how it might actually be better for some illegals to be apprehended by state officials rather than federal border patrol agents. Why? While a single adult male illegal immigrant can be immediately expelled from the country when arrested federally, Davidson explains that under state rules the individual gets to stay in Texas.
“[A] lot of what the state is doing, and a lot of what Gov. Abbott has authorized, is political theater so that he can say that he’s doing something about the border in the face of federal inaction.” – John Davidson
Brandon Waltens has more details from the wide-ranging interview.

Once again, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott skipped a forum for Republicans voters to hear from the GOP candidates for the office. This one was in College Station, in one of the largest GOP counties in the state, presented by Grassroots Victory Texas and the Republican Party of Brazos County.
The Republican gubernatorial candidates attending included former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, former State Sen. Don Huffines, media personality Chad Prather, and businessman Danny Harrison.
Texas Scorecard streamed the forum, and the video archive can be found here.

Dwarfing the fundraising of all his GOP rivals, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week a $65 million war chest for his 2022 campaign fights. Sydnie Henry has the details.
The Abbott campaign announced that almost 44,000 of the nearly 159,000 individual donations from the last six months came from first-time donors. In all, the governor raised $19 million in the last six months. His closest rival, former State Sen. Don Huffines, raised $12 million in the same period – as we reported earlier this week.
“Greg Abbott always has been, and continues to be, one of the most prolific political fundraisers in the nation—and his $19 million haul in the last six months continues to prove that,” said Tracy Marshall, who heads Transparency USA.
“In 2020, Republican Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton outspent his Republican primary challenger Jim Wright by 64 to 1 and still lost his race [in Texas]. Money is important, but it does not buy elections.” – Tracy Marshall

Gubernatorial hopeful Allen West reported a fundraising haul of nearly $2 million for his Republican candidacy. The retired lieutenant colonel and former Texas GOP chairman received more than 13,000 individual donations. Brandon Waltens has the details.
“It is these activists and patriots who have been the foot soldiers for freedom and the little platoons of civilization that ensure the foundation of our republic and will guarantee its future success,” said West’s campaign.

When a teenage girl questioned U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw on a statement he made comparing Jesus to Superman, the congressman got angry and played the victim. The audience at the Montgomery Tea Party wasn’t impressed, reports Sydnie Henry.
In a past interview that surfaced in recent days, Crenshaw compared Jesus to Superman, and separated Him from “real people” like Ronald Reagan and Rosa Parks. It left many scratching their heads. So, a girl tried to ask Crenshaw about it… and he went off.
The crowd booed Crenshaw and he tried to walk it back, repeating, “Don’t question my faith.” The congressman said he would answer any other questions but would not defend his faith.

Three Republicans running to fill an open Texas House seat in Collin County answered questions this week about their qualifications and stances on key issues. Erin Anderson was there and has the details.
As redrawn during last year’s redistricting, HD 61 covers a vertical slice of Collin County that includes parts of McKinney and Frisco. The area is currently within House District 70 and is represented by four-term State Rep. Scott Sanford (R–McKinney), who chose not to run for re-election.
The candidates include Paul Chabot, Frederick Frazier, and Jim Herblin.